1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to method and apparatus for preserving biological materials. More particularly, the invention relates to method and apparatus for preserving biological materials which employs a combination of a preservation solution, high pressure, and low temperature.
2. Description of Related Art
Whole blood and blood components including leukocytes, erythrocytes, thrombocytes, and plasma, need to be preserved and stored until needed for use. Skin and other tissue, kidneys, hearts, livers, and other organs need to preserved and stored until needed for use. These and other biological materials are preserved and stored using both freezing and non-freezing temperatures.
Freezing temperatures require the use of cryoprotectors such as DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) and Thrombosol(trademark) to prevent damage to these biological materials. However, these cryoprotectors are cytotoxic, and typically leave a significant portion of the materials with either reduced or no functional ability. Moreover, cryoprotectors usually require time-consuming preparation, such as rinsing processes, before the materials can be used, and cryoprotector residues often still remain afterwards. Freezing processes can store erythrocytes for more than 30 days, and leukocytes up to 12 hours only.
Non-freezing temperatures limit the amount of time biological materials may be stored and preserved. In addition, non-freezing temperatures may require additional protocols. For example, platelets require mechanical agitation to prevent clumping, and can be stored this way for up to 5 days only.
What is needed are a method and apparatus for preserving biological materials for greater periods of time than with currently available methods and apparatus.
The present invention describes a method for preserving biological materials. The method includes applying a preservation solution to a biological material, and then storing the biological material at a pressure greater than 70 atm and a temperature less than 10xc2x0 C.
The present invention also describes an apparatus for preserving biological materials. The apparatus includes a chamber having a mouth and a lip, the lip having an inside surface and a top surface, the inside surface and the top surface of the lip meeting at a first radius, the top surface of the lip having a channel. The apparatus also includes a cover configured to mate with and seal the chamber, the cover having a bottom surface, the bottom surface having a protrusion and a sealing structure, the bottom surface of the cover and the protrusion meeting at a second radius, the protrusion being inserted into the mouth of the chamber when the cover is mated with the chamber, the protrusion having a side surface, the side surface of the protrusion and the inside surface of the lip defining a first gap and being substantially parallel when the cover is mated with the chamber, the bottom surface of the cover and the top surface of the lip defining a second gap and being substantially parallel when the cover is mated with the chamber, the second gap having a length greater than a width of the first gap, the sealing structure being inserted into the channel of the lip when the cover is mated with the chamber.